The Graduation that Never Was
by springofthedandelions
Summary: This is based on a tumblr post, link inside doesn't work sorry! It's set as Harry's graduation if none of the books had ever happened. Or rather, none of the nasty stuff. No Voldemort, no death, nothing. Pure happiness and fluff!


**I wrote this based on THIS tumblr post so have a look before you read. I hope you like it!**

The Great Hall was lit up like never before and there were gasps all around as each student walked in. The ceiling was dotted with stars and the flags of all four houses were hung around the walls. Parents and family members sat at the tables along with other students who had wanted to watch the graduation ceremony. The noise of happy chatter filled the hall and only made the atmosphere seem brighter. Ginny Weasley could been seen sitting with her parents and older brothers, her face stony; she had wanted to be graduating this year along with her brother and not to mention her boyfriend. She crossed her arms across her chest and scowled at the seventh year students walking in a single file line past her seat, making their way up to the stage to form a line facing out at everyone. From next to her she heard a sob and she looked around at her parents. Her mother was wiping her eyes, tears already filling them and Ginny hid her smirk. Glancing across the table she saw Harry's parents who looked similar to her own mother and she sighed. Everyone was always so emotional at graduation ceremonies; they were so long and boring and Ginny wanted nothing more than to leave the hall and spend the evening with Harry doing absolutely nothing. Or doing a few things, possibly.

Her scowl turned into a radiant smile as Harry walked past and shot her a quick smile, the nerves showing on his face. He had spoken to her earlier that day about how nervous he was to get up in front of everyone and receive his diploma; she had calmed him easily which told her he wasn't too nervous and she now sent him an encouraging smile. She watched as he grinned at his parents and then next came Ron, towering over most of the other students and grinning broadly. If she was totally honest with herself, she used to think Ron would never make it to graduation and she was sure Hermione had shared her views for a time. But by the time they ended their sixth year it was as if he turned from Ginny's stupid older brother to a completely different person – after going through a period of stupidity where he dated Lavender and treated Hermione like rubbish – and this new person had stuck. She grinned at him and held up her thumbs stupidly, earning a smirk from him.

Hermione followed close behind – the students had lined up in any order they had wanted rather than alphabetically – and she beamed around at the group of people sat around Ginny. Along with the majority of the Weasley family, the Potters, Sirius and Remus, Hermione's parents had also come along and it made their end of the table quite lively. Luna had wanted to watch the ceremony and sat near them, beaming away at everyone as they passed. Hermione nervously smoothed down her robes as she passed the table and walked quickly to the stage. Ginny spotted the Ministry officials, including the Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt along with several Aurors, who sat on their table, though much further down, and laughed. They were all so official in their robes and then Ginny's eyes landed on a witch with bright pink hair, her eyes staring down towards their end of the table. Following her gaze, she saw the witch was watching Lupin and Ginny grinned as Lupin's eyes kept flicking to the pink haired witch. Ginny turned to watch the students stand up on the stage. The noise was starting to die down and there was a hush as Dumbledore stood up to address the hall. There was nervous fidgeting from the students stood up on the stage and Ginny caught Harry's eye, smiling warmly at him.

"Good evening to you all!" Dumbledore boomed and the entire hall was silent, all eyes on the man who captivated everyone's attention as easily as he woke up in the morning. He beamed around at them all, silent for a moment and the twinkle in his eye seemed all the more brighter tonight. "Each year it seems to get harder and harder for me to say goodbye to our seventh year students and this year is no exception. The students you see standing on this stage are all outstanding, each in their own way, and ought to be congratulated for the amazing effort they have put in. Though we will do so individually, I would like to ask you all to give them a hand now."

The noise was deafening as everyone clapped and both Fred and George gave a few whoops, earning a stern look from Professor McGonagall and a small grin from Dumbledore. As the claps slowly stopped, the last few coming from the twins, Dumbledore smiled again.

"Another year has now passed us by. Memories have been made over the past seven years that will be ever remembered fondly and friendships that will last for years to come have been formed. The students here will go forth from this school on to bigger – and yes, better – things. All of them have bright futures ahead of them and they have themselves to thank for that. Each of them has worked hard towards their goals and this is their night to celebrate." There was a murmur from the seventh years and a few exchanged grins. "I would like to call Professor McGonagall up to present the certificates for the Gryffindor students."

There was another clap, mainly from Ginny, Fred, George and Charlie, who had decided to come along at the last minute. Ginny had been disappointed Bill couldn't make it – purely because she missed her older brother – but now the grin sat on her face as she cheered along with her brothers in support of their house. McGonagall stepped up and faced the hall with her usual stern look, though tonight it looked as though she was _trying_ to smile.

"Good evening." She said through tight lips and Ginny smirked. "I am here to congratulate the Gryffindor students and give them their certificates. I am proud of them all and they will all go far." A strange thing seemed to be happening and before Ginny knew it, her professor smiled wildly, looking around at her students who had moved forward. Using her wand, she brought a pile of parchment towards her which Ginny recognized as the certificates. Clearing her throat, she looked out across the hall.

"Lavender Brown!" There was a small squeal and Lavender darted forward, smiling widely and there was a small cheer from who Ginny guessed was her family. She shook hands with McGonagall and went back to the line, blushing slightly. Ginny watched as Seamus received his and grin broadly at everyone before standing next to Lavender.

"Hermione Granger!" Everyone sat around Ginny cheered and clapped, but none louder than the Weasley up on the stage who was yelling like it was going out of fashion. Hermione blushed deeply and darted up to McGonagall, shaking her hand firmly. When she made her way back to the line, instead of standing next to Seamus she moved down next to Ron and Ginny smiled as the pair held hands tightly.

"Neville Longbottom!" Neville's parents yelled loudly from further down Ginny's table and she saw his mother taking photos, tears streaming down her face. Neville stumbled up to receive his certificate and Ginny breathed a sigh of relief when he was safely back in line. Parvati Patil was next and Ginny knew that Harry would be straight after. She glanced over at him as Parvati walked up to get her certificate and saw Harry nervously attempt to flatten his wild hair.

"Harry Potter!" The table around Ginny erupted once more as the Weasleys, the Potters, the Grangers and a collection of other people clapped loudly for Harry. His face was red as he stepped up and shook McGonagall's hand and Ginny screamed loudly for him, her face beaming. He grinned out at the people clapping for him and made his way back to the line. Dean Thomas was called but Ginny tuned out, watching Harry with a small smile of admiration.

"Ronald Weasley!" For the third time, everyone surrounding Ginny clapped though none as loud as Mr and Mrs Weasley. Fred and George seemed to be chanting but Ginny could not quite tell what it was and judging by the look her mother gave them, it wasn't something others should hear. Ron's face was the same colour as his hair and he ducked his head as he walked up, his smile only just seen as he shook hands with the Professor.

"I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you all." McGonagall said and the hall clapped along with her, the Gryffindor students moving back with the other students. Ginny tuned out once again as the other houses received their certificates and when the last Slytherin had received theirs, Professor Dumbledore stood in front of them again.

"Congratulations to everyone stood up here tonight! You have all done marvellously well. I know you will all be looking forward to our wonderful feast but we have a few special awards to give out first. I would like to ask Professor McGonagall up again to present these." There was a small murmur as everyone wondered what these awards were and silence fell as McGonagall stood in front of them once more.

"Each year, there are students that stand out from the others. Whether it be for their academic achievements or for other such things, they are students that need to be awarded and given special recognition. First, I have the award for the top Divination student. This student has excelled in the subject –" At the word 'subject' there was a slight flicker across McGonagall's face and Ginny knew it was because of her dislike of Divination. "– and Professor Trelawney has had her picked out for this award since fourth year. I would like to call up Lavender Brown to receive this award." Another squeal and Lavender ran up, a bright smile on her face as she received her award.

"Next, I have the award to Quidditch captain of the year. Though it wasn't easy to choose out of our four house captains, one stood out by far. I am awarding this to Mr. Harry Potter!" The pride could be heard in McGonagall's voice that so far all of the awards had been given to Gryffindor students and Ginny wondered what other awards there were to come. Harry grinned as he received the award and took his place back in line, Ron thumping him on the back.

"This next award is for someone who has consistently received top marks in Herbology throughout his time here at Hogwarts and will go far in the subject. Neville Longbottom!" Ginny clapped loudly along with the rest of the hall as Neville walked up and shook his Professor's hand, grinning stupidly.

"The award to top student in Defence Against the Dark Arts was a tricky one at that, with so many students enjoying the subject and doing well. After some consideration, I would like to award this to Draco Malfoy!" The clap wasn't as loud for the blonde haired boy but Ginny clapped anyway, her smile disappearing as she watched him shake McGonagall's hand. There was no trace of a smile on his face but as he looked out towards his parents, Ginny saw a hint of pride.

"I have two more awards to give out. First, for the top prefect. Though prefects are chosen because of a student's outstanding ability –" Ginny almost snorted at the thought of Ron's 'outstanding ability' to be a prat. "– there are always those who excel further than anyone could have expected. Our prefects this year were no exception and it was difficult to decide which deserved this award. After some talk, we decided on the student who has shown growth and maturity throughout the year and taken the role very seriously indeed. I would like to award this to Ronald Weasley!"

Ginny was sure her mouth had fallen open in shock and she could hear through the cheers and clapping Fred and George laughing loudly. She knew Ron had grown up significantly over the last year and she was proud of her older brother definitely, but she would have thought Hermione would have gotten the award over him. Ron's face mirrored her own as he walked up, not smiling but staring at his Professor as if she had made a mistake. McGonagall gave him an encouraging smile and he went back into the line, Harry returning the thump on the back that Ron had given him earlier.

"Lastly, we have the excellence award. This is an award we usually give every year, though there is not always someone who deserves it. This time around however, there was one student who stood out from the rest from day one. This student excelled in each and every subject, taking on more work than she could possibly deal with but still doing well. She made an excellent prefect, a wonderful addition to her house and a brilliant friend. I have no doubts in my mind that she will go incredibly hard with her strong work ethic and determination. I would like Hermione Granger to come forward." The hall erupted, the group around Ginny the loudest, as a blushing Hermione walked up, a proud smile on her face. Ginny glanced around at her parents who had a muggle camera in their hand and were snapping away, tears running down their faces. She grinned and turned back to see Hermione standing back in line, hugging Ron and Harry tightly. A pang of jealously his Ginny – she wished more than ever she was up there with them, graduating. Next year was going to a lonely one.

"Congratulations to everyone!" Dumbledore was standing up again and at his words, the hall was a filled with the noise of cheers and claps, the noise echoing off of the walls and he beamed. "I am sure by now you are all starving and so I invite you all to tuck in!" At his last two words, the food appeared on the tables in front of them and Ginny heard Mr and Mrs Granger exclaim in surprise. The seventh year students made their way through the tables, finding their loved ones and Ginny smiled as Harry slipped in beside her, his hand finding hers and squeezing it softly.

"Well done!" She whispered into his ear and kissed him softly on the cheek. He grinned back at her before his parents held up a camera, the pair now grinning towards it. From next to the Potters Hermione was sitting with her parents, hugging them tightly as tears shimmered in her eyes and Ron was sat next to her, doing his best to ignore Mrs Weasley's sobs of happiness. Fred and George were grinning wickedly towards their youngest brother – no doubt many jokes were running through their minds but for the moment they held off, Ginny knowing they were sensitive enough to let him enjoy his moment. Remus cleared his throat from next to Harry's parents and all eyes turned towards him and realising he was making a toast, they all held up their glasses.

"I would like to say congratulations to all of our graduates here. Harry, Ron and Hermione you have all done exceptionally well. I think I speak for everyone here when I say you are all going to go far and we are all so proud of you." There was a noise as everyone clinked their glasses and a loud sob from both Molly and Lily had Fred and George making gagging noises. Laughter filled the table and conversations broke out between excited parents as everyone started loading their plates with food, mainly Ginny's brothers. Sirius and Lupin started a discussion about what career path Harry should chose and Ginny watched as Harry rolled his eyes towards them, shaking his head and helping himself to roast potatoes.

"Did you expect the Quidditch captain award?" Ginny asked and he shook his head again, swallowing and turning to look at her.

"No way. I wasn't expecting anything at all." He replied and Ginny smiled at his modesty. Across the table, Fred and George seemed to have given in to the teasing and were picking at Ron for his prefect award.

"It's a shame Percy is out of the country, Ronnie. No doubt he would have been _delighted _to see you receive the same award he got." Fred was saying and Ginny grinned at Ron's face. Hermione stopped talking to her parents and turned, realising what was going on.

"What's that Fred? You're jealous of Ron because he actually finished school?" She said and the twins laughed loudly.

"Yes, Hermione. Incredibly jealous that we aren't clever little prefects like the two of you." George said and Hermione smiled wickedly.

"Oh, because being a prefect is something to be ashamed of, I forgot. Remind me, how many special awards did you two win?" She asked carefully and the twin's smiles faded slightly as they shrugged their shoulders. "I'm surprised you aren't proud of your brother to be completely honest. He did what you couldn't and got an education." Ron blushed from next to her, clearly embarrassed to have Hermione standing up for him and Ginny, who would have thought the twins would retort with another sarcastic comment, laughing off her comments, was surprised when instead they turned to Charlie and started talking, ignoring Hermione's triumphant smile.

"Thanks." Ron mumbled, staring down at his plate of food. "They're probably right though – I don't know why I got it."

"Ron, I am getting quite sick of this 'feel sorry for me' attitude." Ginny shot and Ron glared at her.

"Shut up, Ginny." He shot and Ginny snorted.

"That's witty."

"Ginny's right, Ron. You deserved what you got today and you should be proud." Lupin cut in from down the table and Ron mumbled something inaudibly, shoving meat into his mouth and ignoring everyone. Ginny turned away and back to Harry, but not before she saw Hermione whisper something into Ron's ear that caused him to smile widely and Ginny smiled to herself; she was glad her brother had Hermione, even if it took them forever to get together.

"It must have been boring for you watching the ceremony." Harry commented as he picked a bread roll of the dish in front of him and started buttering it.

"Oh, well it wasn't very interesting watching everyone else but it was worth it to see you all nervous." Ginny said, mimicking the way he had flattened his hair before receiving his certificate and Harry laughed.

"Me? Nervous? Don't know what you're talking about." He replied and it was Ginny's turn to laugh though it felt fake. Reality was starting to set in; it had been an enjoyable evening and though she was excited for Harry and the others to graduate, she couldn't help but frown at how lonely the next year would be. She had her own friends – Luna, for example – and wouldn't be completely on her own, but without Harry to keep her company in the evenings or Ron to pick on, or even Hermione to help her with homework when she needed it – it was going to be a horrible year. "Hey, what's the problem?"

Ginny looked up to see Harry watching her and she plastered a smile on her face. "Nothing!" She said much too brightly and he raised an eyebrow. Her smile fell and she lowered her voice. "I'm just going to miss you next year, that's all. It's going to be weird without you lot – even Ron."

"You'll be okay though – you'll be so busy studying for your N.E.W.T.S that you won't even realise we're gone and you will see us in the holidays." Harry said and she shrugged; this was not comforting at all. "But if it makes you feel any better, I'm going to be sitting at home thinking about you every day."

She grinned at him, kissing him firmly on the lips and he smiled into her. "Don't tell Ron that I said I would miss him." She whispered and Harry nodded seriously.

At the end of the feast, the empty plates and leftover food lay on the table as the chatter in the hall grew louder. Ginny looked around at everyone, smiling faces meeting her in every direction and she smiled to herself despite the small feeling of dread about next year that was brooding inside of her. She spotted Malfoy in the distance and watched as his mother pinched his cheek, Malfoy brushing her off in embarrassment. She wondered if he secretly had a soft side and it made her giggle slightly. His father was patting him on the back and Ginny looked away, watching other families have similar interactions around the hall. There was a commotion all of a sudden further down from Ginny and she turned, as did everyone else in the hall, towards the twins and Charlie who seemed to be having a very loud and heated debate.

"You know they're a better team – just admit it!" Charlie was saying loudly and Ginny smirked; they were arguing over Quidditch. Molly desperately tried to shush them but it was no use. Charlie had a temper like his mothers and when provoked, could be quite nasty. Fred and George seemed to be enjoying winding up their older brother and laughed at his outburst.

"A better team? Charlie, they lost their last three consecutive games. Now, the Wimbourne Wasps are a real team. How many times have they won recently? Oh yes, every game." George said happily and Charlie fumed in front of them. "Remind me how many games the Ballycastle Bats have won, oh brother of mine?"

Charlie sputtered and his face turned red, a laugh was heard around the hall before a gasp as Charlie picked up his spoon, scooped up some of the mashed potato in front of him and flung it at the twins. It covered Fred's face and George caught some on his cheek but before they had time to retaliate, Molly cut in.

"Charlie!" She screeched and he looked towards his mother, his anger disappearing at the sight of her furious face. "What do you think you're doing? This is your brother's graduation and you are arguing over Quidditch and – throwing food! I am so disappointed in – "

There was another laugh as the twins sent a piece of cold beef flying at Charlie, their mother letting out an angry yell. Somewhere on the opposite side of the hall, someone stood up with a piece of chicken in their hands and yelled, "Food fight!" and in a second, all hell broke loose. Charlie and the twins threw whatever they could get their hands on at each other, occasionally missing and hitting their parents. Students and parents alike stood up all over the hall and begun to throw food at each other, the ridiculousness of the situation making Ginny laugh loudly.

"What on earth? This is so silly – what a waste of food!" Hermione gasped disapprovingly from across the table and Ginny grinned, picking up some leftover jelly from dessert and flinging it in her direction. The older witch gasped again, Ron laughing from next to her and Hermione turned her attention to her boyfriend. "Is that funny, Ron?" She asked wickedly and his smile disappeared as Hermione picked up a bowl of peas and upended it on his head. Ginny laughed even louder before she screamed; Harry had picked up Ginny's bowl which had her leftover melted ice cream and tipped it into her hair.

"Harry!" She screeched, sounding too much like her mother for her own liking and she hit him across the head, Sirius laughing loudly at the sight. Harry turned on his parents and Ginny watched in amazement as he threw food at them. James and Sirius started a battle and equipped themselves with various foods as the noise in the hall grew louder, people standing up and throwing food further across the room and Ginny ducked as a bread roll went flying over her head. Further down the table, Neville stood up to get closer to Luna but stepped into a slice of pumpkin pie that lay on the floor and fell hard to the floor. Luna laughed as she helped him up and the pair set about throwing food at other students.

The parents seemed to be the worst offenders. Harry's mother was aiming a pumpkin pasty at her husband's head and even Molly was getting in to it, venting her frustrations at her children by hurling an abandoned piece of meat at Charlie. Hermione's parents had a look of utter amazement – being Muggles, they no doubt thought this was a regular occurrence at wizard graduations – and they managed to stay out of the mess, taking photos of their daughter and Ron who were both laughing as Ron shoved half of the éclair in his hand in his mouth, the other half hitting Hermione in the shoulder. The teachers were watching in disbelief and Dumbledore had a grin on his face, laughing and even sending a few pieces of food down into the fray. McGonagall had a hint of laughter on her face but watched with a stern face. Ginny dropped to the floor and crawled under the table, saved from the mess and watched as food fell to the floor and splattered. Harry's face suddenly appeared and he grinned, crawling under the table with her and she laughed.

"This is crazy!" She said over the noise of the hall and Harry nodded in agreement. "I can't believe our parents."

"It's nuts. I didn't think graduation would be like this." Harry admitted and Ginny laughed again.

"I hope mine is this exciting." She said happily and Harry pulled her closer, brushing away a stray pea that sat entangled in her hair and Ginny grimaced. "Did you have to put _ice-cream _in my hair?" She complained and Harry kissed her forehead.

"You're smart – you can charm it off." He replied and she aimed a pinch in his side. "Oi – watch it!"

"Watch yourself, Mr Potter, or you might find yourself –" She began to retort but he silenced her with a kiss, his lips moving over hers and she felt herself relax into his arms happily. All of her thoughts about the next year disappeared in that moment as she knew she would always have Harry, the one thing that kept her happy. Breaking away she sighed happily and peeped out from under the table. "As much as I would love to continue what we were doing, I do believe it's quietening down out there."

The noise had indeed died down and as the pair climbed out, people could be seen siphoning food off of certificates, cleaning both the floor and themselves with their wands and laughter filled the hall. Harry and Ginny joined in, using their wands to help with the clean up and once the hall was spotless again, all evidence of a food fight having disappeared, everyone sat down and waited as Dumbledore stood up.

"I can tell you that in all my years of being the Headmaster of Hogwarts, I have never seen a night like tonight." His eyes twinkled out at them and laughter rang around the hall again, parents looking a little embarrassed and students grinning broadly. "Once again, congratulations to our students. No doubt tonight will be memorable for more than reason. I want to thank the family and friends who came tonight to support these marvellous people and I hope you are all proud. I bid you all a good night."

Another deafening applause and Dumbledore smiled out at them all. Parents were standing up and taking last photos of their children with their certificates and their group stood up, everyone chatting excitedly. James and Sirius seemed to be teasing Lupin and the sight of Snape walking towards their table caught Ginny's eye. She watched as he avoided James as if he were infected with something and make his way towards Lily. Harry watched too as the pair had a brief exchange and Lily smiled at their Potions professor, the latter returning what looked like a smile though Ginny couldn't quite be sure. Harry's hand squeezed her before he let it go and made his way over towards Ron and Hermione, the trio hugging tightly and Ginny felt that small pang of jealously once again. The pink haired witch from earlier was moving slowly down the table and Lupin seemed torn between talking to her and hexing his friends for teasing him. Ginny felt a tap on her shoulder and looked around to see Lily standing next to her, a warm smile lighting up her face. Snape had moved back up towards the staff table and Ginny smiled back at her boyfriends mum.

"Ginny, I just want to say how lovely you are." Lily started and Ginny blushed. "Harry doesn't stop talking about you and I am so pleased he has found someone as lovely as you."

"Oh, thank you!" Ginny gushed and the pair hugged briefly. "He means a lot to me. I – I love him very much." She said quietly and Lily nodded.

"You mean a lot to him, too. I don't know how often he says it to you – you know what boys are like – but he feels the same way. He's very lucky." Lily said and Ginny grinned, happiness filling her. "Would you mind taking a photo of us all?"

"Of course not!" Ginny replied, taking the camera out of Lily's now outstretched hands. The older woman called to her son and husband, Sirius and Lupin joining them. She held up the camera as they all assembled in front of her, Harry holding up his certificate proudly and James putting his arm around him. "Smile!" She called and there was laughter as the photo took with both Sirius and Lupin looking away.

"Come on, Remus. Can't you keep your eyes off of her for one minute?" Sirius asked and Lupin ignored him as James laughed loudly and Lily smirked. Ginny turned to see the pink haired witch grinning at him from behind her and she turned back, holding the camera up again.

"Okay, this time!" James said and the five of them turned and grinned widely at the camera, Ginny clicking the button and freezing the moment in time. She smiled and passed the camera over, Harry reaching her and holding her hand tightly and they watched as Lupin made his way over to the witch with the pink hair, a funny smile on his face.

"I love you, Ginny." Harry whispered into her ear and she smiled even wider, turning and hugging him fiercely.

"I love you too." She said and kissed him softly as they broke away from the hug. Ginny looked around at the happy faces that surrounded her and sighed. She would be lonely next year, that was a given, but at least for now she could enjoy the summer with Harry and know that no matter what, he would always be there for her. Life was good.


End file.
